Page 11 of Tell Me Why
Lucas shakes his head. “Yeah, whatever. This is on you guys, though. I don’t have time for this shit.”
“You got it, bro,” I say casually, studying the charred end of my blunt. “Don’t worry about a thing.” I look up at my twin and flash him a smile. “We’ll take care of it.”
When Lucas leaves, Jackson turns to Ash and me. “So what the fuck are we going to do with her?”
I shrug. “She wants to be our toy…” I say. “So we’ll make her our toy.”
Ash leans against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “And how’s this going to work, exactly? Does one of us get her? Do we all share her, or what?” His eyes light up a little too much at that last suggestion.
“Whatever goes, man,” I answer. It’s all part of the plan—only, they don’t know what the plan is. I’d share my thoughts with them, but I know for a fact, they’d have an opinion and I don’t have the time or patience to deal with their dumb-ass objections.
It’s better if they don’t know.
Standing abruptly, I walk over to the door and pull it open. Eve is standing in the hallway, hugging herself. She whips around to face me, her eyes wide. She looks like a fox that’s been cornered by a hound, and that look of fear on her face makes me smile.
Damn, I’m really fucked up inside.
“You can come back in,” I say, holding the door open so she’s forced to pass under my arm. She watches me closely as she walks back into the study.
I close the door and lean against it, re-lighting my blunt. “We accept you’re uh…” I motion to her, “payment.Now let’s talk terms…”
CHAPTERFIVE
Eve
The way he says,“Now let’s talk terms,” reminds me of a businessman closing a deal. Except we’re not in a board room and Christian West isn’t wearing a suit—he’s wearing swim trunks and a sardonic grin that I’m desperate to claw off his face with my blunt fingernails.
Chill, Eve,I tell myself.
While I’m here, I’ll have to try my best to stay away from him. Of all the guys, I’ve noticed he watches me the closest. Those crazy blue eyes track my every movement, eating me up, and then spitting me out. And I already know how cruel he can be, just for the fun of it.
Fuck Christian West.
“Okay, what terms do you propose?” I ask.
“You belong to us for three months,” Christian says, eyeing me lazily, a white ribbon of smoke curling into the air as he speaks. “And we get free rein. Nothing is off limits.”
Threemonths? My God, there’s no way I’d survive here for that long.
“Threeweeks,” I counter. “And consent is required for anything sexual…”
I realize I have zero leverage in this negotiation, but delusional thinking has never stopped me before. You don’t get what you don’t ask for, right?
Jackson and Ash glance at each other, but it’s clear Christian isn’t interested in what the other guys think. Those icy blue eyes burn into me as he approaches slowly, closing the short distance between us. He places a hand on the door behind me, his muscular body curving over me, and I’m reminded of that moment in the hallway of the psych buildingyet again.
“Three months,” he repeats, his tone hard. Cold. He’s not giving an inch, and I can already tell that this guy doesn’t negotiate. He dictates. “And if it’s consent you want, then you can give it to us right now or the deal is off and you can get the fuck out.”
His warmth surrounds me, and I force a swallow.Shit. I can’t walk away now, not when there’s a chance I can save my brother from his own stupidity—even if the idea of “belonging”to these assholes makes my skin crawl.
My eyes flick up to meet his. “You can’t cause any permanent damage.” His lips curl up at the corners, making him look devilish. “No promises, pet.”
I flash him a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes. It’s all I can muster. “So, when you said ‘Let’s talk terms,’ you meant you’d dictate them to me. You have no interest in actually negotiating.”
“You’re catching on.” He pulls back and glances at the other guys. “Good news, she’s a quick learner. This might actually be fun.”
Disgust slithers down my spine, and I have to ball my hands into fists to keep from lashing out. Christian West represents everything I hate about the elite, and having to throw myself at his mercy absolutely kills me, but what other choice do I have? If I walk away and my brother is killed, I’d never forgive myself.
My mouth is dry, and I swallow. “I’ll continue to attend my classes...”
